WILSON – Three local independent schools participated in the North Carolina Independent School Athletic Association state tennis tournament recently.

One of them – Northeast Academy – had a state champion on their roster as Taylor Cocke won the state title at the number five seed. Cocke defeated number one seed Julia Rao of Trinity School of Durham 6-1 and 6-3 to secure the championship.

She had won her earlier matches in straight sets as well.

Cocke’s state title helped Northeast Academy secure the number nine spot in the state in the team rankings.

Also earning a second round matchup was sixth-seeded Allyson Leggett who won in straight sets in the opening matchup before falling to a seeded player from Davidson Day School.

Kaylon Rose, Ashlynn Bridgers, Ivey Little and Haley Jones also played in the singles tournament for the Lady Eagles.

Ridgecroft School finished just behind Northeast in tenth place during the tournament.

The Lady Rams got a first round win by third-seeded Katie Futrell, who topped Lawrence Academy’s McCaul Nelson. Futrell then fell to Taylor Williams, the number two ranked player in the third-seed bracket. Futrell was 14-2 in 2010.

Fourth-seeded Miller Bryant got a bye in the first round for Ridgecroft, but dropped a tough match to Catherine Cherry of Faith Christian School. Bryant finished the season 14-2.

Also participating in the tournament for Ridgecroft was number one seed Caroline Bowman (14-1), second seeded Alex Riddick (13-3), number five seed Roxie Daniels (9-6) and sixth-seeded McKenzie Quattlebaum (7-8).

In doubles action, Bowman and Riddick combined to win their first-round match over the top team from Elon School, but lost in the second round.

Ridgecroft number two seeds Futrell and Bryant did the same, securing a first round win before succumbing in the second round.

Daniels and Quattlebaum fell in the opening round.

“The tennis season was very successful for us,” Ridgecroft Head Coach Elton Winslow said. “With the success we had in the regular season, I was a little disappointed in how we finished at the state tournament.”

The third school participating was Lawrence Academy.

The top finisher for the Lady Warriors was Bailey Nelson at the number two seed. In 2009, Nelson had played at number five and finished as state runner up. This year, she moved to the second seed for Lawrence and advanced to the second round.

Nelson defeated Alex Riddick of Ridgecroft School in the opening round.

After that win, Nelson suffered a setback to the top ranked player in the bracket, Kayla Revelle of Statesville Christian School.

Also winning their first round match was Brittany Lancaster, the number five seed for Lawrence. She defeated Sonya Goodman of Trinity School of Raleigh and won by dual counts of 6-1. She then lost to second-rated Ross Andrews of Statesville Christian.

Also participating was Hallie Corbett, McCaul Nelson, Sarah Cowand and Alyssa Byrum.

“We had a tough season, but we learned a lot about tennis and character,” said Lawrence Coach Lisa Corbett. “I am proud of their accomplishments and look forward to next season.”